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THE REPORT INTO the Cervical Check controversy has been submitted to the Department of Health, it confirmed.
The report by Dr Gabriel Scally will be forwarded to the Attorney General prior to submission to government and subsequent publication.
Minister for Health Simon Harris intends to meet Dr Scally early next week to be briefed on his report, after which the Minister will bring it to Cabinet.
The Minister also intends to liaise with Dr Scally on arrangements to brief the women
and their families on the contents of the report.
While in the process of carrying out his inquiry, Scally has been vocal in his criticism of certain aspects relating to the Cervical Check controversy.
Interim recommendations made in June by Scally said an immediate ex-gratia payment of €2,000 should be paid to each woman involved in the Cervical Check scandal and to the next of kin of the deceased.
Upon that announcement, Scally said that it had been difficult to obtain information in the format required.
“I am frustrated by it,” he said. “The problem is the volume of information that we’re going to have to go through and its availability to us, because it is not yet coming either in the quantity I would want it or in the way I would want it.”
Harris later said that it was “absolutely pathetic” and “not acceptable” that documents were being provided in a way that was easy to access.
Background
The CervicalCheck controversy came into the public eye when Vicky Phelan, whose cervical cancer is now terminal, settled a High Court action against the HSE and the US laboratory tasked with reviewing one of her smears for €2.5 million.
At least 18 women whose smear tests were highlighted during an audit have since died. Health Minister Simon Harris launched an inquiry into the controversy in May.
The scoping inquiry will examine details of the non-disclosure of information: from Cervical Check audits to patients and what various parties – including the HSE and the Department of Health – knew and when they knew it.
It will also examine the tendering, contracting and operation of the labs contracted by Cervical Check.
Earlier today, The Independent.ie reported that CervicalCheck was in talks with three laboratories on renewing their contracts from next month.
“CervicalCheck laboratory services are currently provided by two contracted laboratories and one public laboratory,” the HSE said in a statement to TheJournal.ie.
“The contractual arrangements that are in place are due for renewal in October. The HSE has been in negotiations with the contracted laboratories with a view to extending contractual arrangements for a period pending full roll out of HPV primary screening.”
A separate strand of the examination will review the screening tests of all the women who have developed cervical cancer who participated in the screening programme since it was established (more details on the Scally probe here).
- with reporting by Daragh Brophy.
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Should be people jailed over this
@Enda Bourke: exactly ,18 women have died so far. Their families need proper answers and those who are held accountable should be jailed but this is Ireland and that’s just not gonna happen.
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: the stupidity of your comment indicates that you don’t realise these smears were selected for audit because the women had cancer. There is no evidence whatsoever that the quality of the screening programme here was in anyway sub standard. The scandal was the length of time it took to communicate the audit results. The women’s care and treatment was thus not affected by the audit.
@Enda Bourke: There wont be because the minister for housing isnt responsible for housing and the minister for health isnt responsible for health etc etc etc.Responsible is a condition not known to irish management,politicians or public servants.
@Seamus G: Women know that audits done AFTER cervical cancer diagnosis!Women weren’t told of audit results and IT reported in May this year that more than 1,500 cervical cancer cases were not audited.
According to Irish Examiner May’18 ‘HSE was aware of US lab issues with smear tests in 2007″! Also in May’18 Indo reported that ‘US lab contracted by Cervical Check to carry out standard screening only-with higher potential for error”(US labs routinely include HPV testing of cervical smears but wasn’t contracted to do so re Ireland)
Questions need to be asked why concerns raised were ignored.
Cervical screening has saved countless lives and it is important to keep confidence in cervical screening and part of that is investigating why smears were misread not just once but twice in some cases.Improvements can then be made.
I watched PAC debates re Cervical screening plus Vicky Phelan’s & Stephen Trap’s attendance at PAC
2 grand, that’s a joke.
@mark stewart: There’s TD’s who owe that at the Dail bar..
@mark stewart: It’s not a joke, it’s a blatent insult!!! Is this all the a woman’s life is worth in this country.
Is the scandal not continuing with delays in retesting?
Have the laboratories involved in the scandal continued to carry out testing during the enquiry? Are they considering re contracting them in
October? Am I reading this wrong?
@Jackie Carvill Caruana: as far as I know the testing is being carried out here and England but there’s at least a 12 week wait for smear results and that’s not acceptable.
@Siobhán Ni Mhurchú: incorrect. The contract is still held by the original companies. Some small sample numbers were being tested here but our labs take three times as long to process the same testing criteria.
Expect nothing earth shaking. This man has been involved with the HSE since 2006 in consultancy on patient safety . An insider, expect a report similar to Waterford CAT Lab. These women at least deserve the TRUTH. I truly fear this will be such a measured critique it will not deliver truth. Just enough for PK and Rourkey to raise their voices once to the minister. Please keep in mind in some cases Women have and are being ripped from their children’s lives because of this. Give those responsible for this no favour, no spin. If you were animated on the 8th here is an women’s health issues and rights, here is something that transcends all that.
This report will be another scandal all on it’s own.
If you are culpable in the unnecessary death of another human being, you are guilty of manslaughter. Mary Harney should be before the criminal court, so should the various ministers for health up to the scandal breaking. Those at the top of the HSE who covered up what they knew was going on should also face charges.
The state, took the decision that it wanted to save money, yet was warned that women would die because the quality of service would drop to an unacceptable level. There are an unknown number of women who have and face a death sentence because of penny pinching on a vital health issue.
@Dave Doyle: the ignorance of your comment is breathtaking. Bet you can’t explain how any womans health here was affected?
@Seamus G: Women have died. How much more can you effect a woman’s health?
Are you one of Leo’s sock puppets?
@Seamus G: Maybe you would care to explain how it wasnt Seamus….you seem to have vast wealths of knowledge abpve us normal mortals…Please enlighten us or better again enlighten Vicky,emma or any of the other hundreds of women how they HAVENT in your eyes been affected.And there was them thinking they were dying….tut
@Seamus G: “Number of deaths in cervical screening controversy rises to 18′ IT 15/5/18
@Nuala Mc Namara: Nuala you are conflating the deaths with the screening when there isn’t a shred of evidence yet to suggest the screening fell short of internationally accepted norms.
@Paul Gurney: the audit did not affect their cancer diagnosis. The scandal was not releasing the audit results. People here confuse this point.
@Seamus G: Some women are dying and have died because there was misread iindications of cervical abnormalities during cervical screening of cervical smears!
When cervical smears were reviewed by Cervical Check AFTER women had been diagnosed,those abnormalities in SOME women’s smears were detected.There is evidence that these abnormalities were misread.We have also evidence from Vicky Phelan’s &Emma Mac Mathuna whose abnormalities were missed,not just once but twice.
What’s gives me extra confidence in cervical screening is the improvements initiated since these issues have been highlighted as described in CBS news article:’Massive failure in cervical screening prompts Ireland to overhaul testing’ 9/7/18.
@Seamus G: Ask a cervical cancer patient which was the worst scandal…a misread smear showing abnormalities…more than once in some cases….orr AFTER cervical cancer diagnosis an Audit recognising those abnormalities& I’d say the former is the worst scandal.
Yes,of course, cervical cancer patients should have been informed that smears were originally misread!
@Nuala Mc Namara: I agree the former is far worse. The problem with your argument is that there is no evidence whatsoever yet that the misreads as you call them fall outside the internationally accepted norms for such a screening programme.
The evidence is the results of the Audits done for women who were diagnosed with cancer which showed misread smears!!
I call these particular smears ‘misreads’ as Audits clearly recognised abnormalities therefore they should have been recognised at time of cervical screening.
RTE said ‘Concerns raised over outsourcing smear testing in 2008″:’Dr David Gibbons ,then Chair of Cytology/Histology within the Quality Assurance Committee , National Cervical Screening Programme said figures from US were showing fewer high grade dysphagias compared to Ireland.He resigned when his concerns not acted on.
@Nuala Mc Namara: ‘should have been recognised at the time’?? You really haven’t a clue about the complexities of screening. Your position expects 100% accuracy in an imperfect test which is impossible.
@Seamus G: Women are well aware that standard cervical screening doesn’t have 100% accuracy,so much for your patronising comments!
I’ve used phrases like “particular smears”,”SOME women’s smears” & “smears misread not once but twice in some cases as relating to histories of women we’ve heard about on media ,RTE&testimonies given at PAC by Vicky Phelan’& Stephen Teap!
Your last sentences are also patronising and untrue!
@Nuala Mc Namara: Maybe he should go and have a smear test done. Let his life and health depend on the accuracy of how the test is read. And when he’ll be advised in time if any abnormalities are found.
@Dave Doyle: the adults are talking here. You’re virtue signalling fooling nobody. You’re well known here now as an imbecilic antiestablishment whinger. Cringe.
@Seamus G: There were until you came along. Anti establishment i am. It’s not hard to be given the destruction of society the political establishment is indulging in.
It takes a right imbecile to nitpick the reasons why women have died, many more face death, and more waiting to know their fate because of penny pinching and cover ups. Only a pure imbeclic semen sock puppet of the political establishment would try and defend what’s going on.
It is not factual that the programme was not functioning as it should. You are jumping to conclusions not yet proved. US lab will pull out and we will be begging for them back.
Patronising?? Throwing in the feminist card cos you’re struggling on facts. Testimonies by people claiming millions off the state are hardly objective now are they? Lets see a case go full trial, this is a screening not a diagnosis. Screening programmes in serious trouble. You’re rubbish no help.
@Seamus G: You’ve been patronising to both men and women on this comment forum!Your dismissal of women whose abnormalities on smears not detected and their subsequent quest for justice is disgusting!
I never struggle with facts because I only base my opinions on facts in public domain including discussions in Oireachtas Committees,etc!
Cervical screening is not supposed to be a diagnostic test of cervical cancer but does show early signs of abnormalities which can then allow for further investigations including colposcopy!
In these women’s cases abnormalities on smears were missed not just once but twice,those are facts!
Actually it has been reported that MORE women have gone for screening as a result of these brave women’s tragic stories.Women are not stupid,they know how important cervical screening has been and will continue to be in saving countless women’s lives!They feel more confident now that these issues in public domain and also that Ireland now considering HPV testing of cervical smears (which was part of normal procedure in US in conjunction with standard screening but US Labs only contracted to do standard screening)
It’s secrecy about telling women subsequent Audit results of cervical smears,attempts at ‘gagging’ women’s experiences,discovery that Dr Gibbon’s concerns ignored ,etc that affects people’s confidence in POLICIES over screening and transparency and accountability!!
!Now Government considering introducing HPV testing of cervical smears in conjunction with standard screening which is very welcome!I believe Minister Harris commitment over this.
@Nuala Mc Namara: By the way I also believe in HPV vaccine and especially since eg Gardasil manufacturers do post marketing research which lists all the reported extremely rare side effects reported also,that type of ongoing research is reassuring!In the past side effects can be tackled by adding or ommiting an ingredient & if ongoing post marketing research shows concerns about a medicine,etc it can be withdrawn.
But I do think post marketing research shouldn’t rely on voluntary disclosure as Gardasil manufacturers state,it should be routine and mandatory!
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